Family diversity and changing family patterns

Chester

Recognises some increased family diversity in recent years, however unlike new right doesn’t regard as very significant.

The neo-conventional family

A dual-earner family in which both sides go out to work.

Life cycle - Chester

1. Most people born into nuclear family

2. Move out of childhood home

3. Find a partner and start own family

4. Stay together until old

The Rapoports

Five types of family diversity - we have moved away from traditional nuclear family.

CLOGS

Cultural diversity - Asian larger fams,

Life course analysis - changes in life of an organism

Organisational diversity - roles organised differently segregated and joint

Generational diversity - old and young gens experienced different family types

Social class diversity - working class v middle class

Main causes of family diversity

• Laws - equal pay, child benefit, contraception

• Changing attitudes

• Roles of women

• Secularisation

• Globalisation

• Finance

Trends in marriage

Decreased significantly

Reasons for trends in marriage rates

Secularisation

Societal expectations decreased

Reasons for changing patterns of marriage

• Fear of divorce

• Changes in women’s position

• Changing attitudes

• Secularisation

• People getting married older

• Reduced functions of familt

• Declining stigma of getting married

LAT

Living alone together

Benefits of LAT

• Personal space

• Personal ownership

• Individual responsibility

• Maintain personal interests

Cohabitation

A state of living together in a sexual relationship without being married

Why are teenage marriages more at risk of divorce

Less life experience and less maturity

Why are childless couples more risk of divorce?

Don’t have a reason to stay together, don’t have to worry about custody and childcare

Why are couples from a different social class or ethnic background more at risk of divorce

Different backgrounds and attitudes on childcare and education

What are reasons why women are more likely to apply for divorces 65%

Higher rate of domestic abuse reciever

Less willing to be in unhappy relationship

Rise in feminism

Reasons why singletons have increased

People getting married later on

Increase in divorce

Less tradition

Rise in individualism

Reasons why living alone can be more beneficial than living with others

• More choice

• More privacy

• Personal ownership

• Personal interests

Reconstituted Families

A family consisting of a couple, children they have together and children from previous relationship

Total fertility rate

Number of children who would be born per woman in the child bearing years

Birth rate

Number of live births per 1000 of population per year

Causes of the trends in childbearing

Contraception

Changing roles of women

Education

Decline infant mortality rate

Economic factors

Changing position of children and values